Hook, Line and Drinker Festival Returns May 19th

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The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will present the second annual Hook, Line and Drinker Festival on Saturday, May 19th.

The event will be held from 12:30 pm until 4:30 pm at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva, N.C.

The festival will feature fishing guides and fishing industry vendors, food trucks, a farmers market from 9:00 am until 12:00pm, children’s activities, music by two bands, and craft beer vendors.

The inaugural pre-festival Tuck Trout Trot run/walk will be held on Friday, May 18, at the Jackson County Greenway. A portion of net proceeds from this self-timed, 2.2-mile event will benefit Jackson County Parks & Recreation’s Outdoor programming, including the annual “Fishing With Kids Day.” Registration for the Tuck Trout Trot is $18, which includes a T-shirt​ (limited number remaining, first-come first-serve)​ and glow-in-the-dark necklace or bracelet. You can register for the event now at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce or the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department in Cullowhee. Register the day of the event at the greenway for $20.

Admission to the family-friendly festival on Saturday, May 19th, is FREE, with donations encouraged.

There will be live music from 12:30 pm until 4:30 pm by two of the region’s most popular bands. A Social Function​ will perform classic hits from 12:30 pm to 2:15 pm, followed by ​Fireside Collective,​ a nationally touring band from WNC, who will perform progressive bluegrass from 2:45 pm to 4:30 pm.

Reusable Hook, Line & Drinker souvenir cups will be available for $5. Souvenir cups are required for craft beer vendor purchases. A portion of net proceeds from souvenir cup sales will benefit Trout Unlimited’s “Trout in the Classroom” programming for 2018-2019.

Professor Whizzop will be on the festival grounds from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm., entertaining children and adults alike with balloons, games and bubbles.

Jackson County is the proud home of the WNC Fly Fishing Trail® and the NC Trout Capital®. The WNC Fly Fishing Trail® features 15 hot fishing spots that run from the northern end of the county to the southern end along the Tuckaseigee River. Jackson County is stocked with more trout than any other county in the state and is home to the largest recorded rainbow trout caught in N.C.